by tradespeopleinsights | Jun 23, 2009 | Marketing Tips, Social Marketing
For manufacturers who are targeting the professional tradesman, we think creating a Facebook page instead of a group is the better choice. Facebook pages let you connect directly without having to connect to a personal account if you create a group. Think of your Brand as a rock star who wants to stay connected to your fans.
More importantly, you want to build a fan base. To create a fan page, go to fan and create a new page. Both you and your friends can post photos and comments, you can share updates, create upcoming events (or new product announcements) very easily. The whole idea of social media is networking and building relationships, so we need to make it as easy as possible for tradesmen to have access to you. Pages are also indexed by external search engines and groups are not.
Groups, on the other hand, have options for privacy settings (which means there’s another layer to go through to get in). Groups are limited to 5000 members (they won’t let you do e-mail blasts to anything over that). This is great if you’re in charge of a class reunion or some other group that needs a common place to communicate.
Facebook has continued its tremendous growth, according to Compete; it grew from 104 million to 113 million monthly uniques; an 8.54% increase. Visits grew from 1.63 billion to 1.74 billion, solidifying Facebook’s position as the number 3 site on the Internet.
You should take advantage of this network. What are you doing to capitalize on your Facebook account? I’d like to hear from you.
by tradespeopleinsights | Jun 18, 2009 | Marketing Trends, Social Marketing
Many manufacturers are still leery about social media in a B-to-B arena. Since we deal with the professional trades, we know most of the editors very well and recently asked many of them to participate in a survey on social media. The majority of them are responsible for end user books that serve the likes of plumbers, electricians, HVACR contractors and mechanical contractors.
Here are some highlights:
Editors are using the social tools, and if for no other reason, you should be using them to communicate about your brand.
While some editors are currently writing blogs, more are anticipating doing them in the future.
Editors are looking for success stories involving social media.
Although most editors believe their audience isn’t that social savvy today (35.2%), they think that will improve dramatically in the next year (64.7%).
Here are the results:
1. Are You Using Any of the New Social Media Tools?
LinkedIn – 88.2%
Facebook – 64.7%
Twitter – 35.2%
Blogs – 29.4%
Online Forums – 23.5%
2. Do You or Another Editor on Your Staff Write a Blog for Your Publication?
Yes – 35.2%
No – 64.7%
3. If no to Question #2, are you planning on Doing a Blog for Your Publication?
Yes – 52.9%
No – 41.1%
4. Is Social Media and its Impact on Business on Your Editorial Radar Screen?
Yes – 76.4%
N0 – 23.5%
5. Have you Written Articles on Social Media and its Impact or Future Impact on Your Readers?
Yes – 35.2%
No – 64.7%
6. Do you Think Your Readers are Aware of Social Media as it Relates to the Business Aspects of Their Lives?
Ye s- 35.2%
No – 64.7%
7. Do you Think Your Readers will Become More Involved in Social Media in the next Year?
Yes – 64.7%
No – 41.1%
8. Do You Think Your Readers are Using any of the following Social Media Tools?
LinkedIn – 47.0%
Facebook – 41.1%
Twitter – 11.7%
Blogs – 35.2%
Online Forums – 52.9%
by tradespeopleinsights | Jun 16, 2009 | Marketing Trends
I recently attended a webinar where the key speaker, Roy Young, President of MarketingProfs, shared key findings from the study on trends and spending strategies for B-to-B marketers. Highlights include:
- Reduced budgets
- Marketers are sharpening their focus
- New media is on the rise
- Emphasis is particularly strong for search marketing, webinars, emails and company web sites
- Digital and traditional tactics are being woven into an integrated marketing program
The implications are a trend toward the adoption of digital tactics, which started before the economic crisis, but have been accelerated by B-to-B marketers having to do more with less. Marketers have found that buyers want to be in control. The seller’s success depends on engagement and trust.
The study represented a broad range of B-to-B clients in both small, medium and large categories. While traditional tactics still remained the dominant player in 2007 and 2008, 2009 budget tactics now were including more of the social media mix.
To read the entire study, B-to-B marketing in 2009: Trends in Strategies and Spending
by tradespeopleinsights | Jun 15, 2009 | Marketing Tips, Social Marketing, Twitter
B-to-B marketers are having a hard time figuring out the best way to use Twitter. If they understand that the people who are following them are obviously interested in them and their products, they’ve already pre-qualified themselves. Twitter has become my number-one source of activity to my blog.
Here are 5 ways I recommend using Twitter in a B-to-B setting:
- Share product and technical information: By putting up new product info, technical and other harder to obtain info on Twitter, you’re allowing tradesmen to keep up to date on information without distractions for search engines or even your web site.
- Drive people to your blog: One main objective is to get them to your blog, and Twitter is an ideal way of doing that. We use TweetLater to send out posts hourly during the business day. Our traffic has increased substantially since we started using this, and our followers have also increased.
- Keep up on competitors as well as what people are saying about you: We use Twitter Search as the tool to keep us informed. It’s fast and easy, much like Google Alerts. Wouldn’t you like to know who’s talking about buying something from your competitor?
- Share solutions for specific applications: Manufacturers can do everything from quick tips for tradesmen in the field, to best practices on how to get the most productivity in certain applications.
- Creating buzz at trade shows: This is relatively new, but is a great way to talk about the latest new widget at XYZ’s booth, and you really should stop by booth #2459. Obviously for this to work, you need to have a number of followers in that industry who are probably at the show. Even if they aren’t, you will have peaked their curiosity enough for them to look on your blog or web for more info on the product.
These are my top 5 ways…what are yours?
Here are a few more posts about Twitter that may be of interest to you:
Using Twitter in Customer Service
Use Twitter to Grow Your Brand
Twitter Search Benefits B-to-B Marketers
by tradespeopleinsights | Jun 12, 2009 | Marketing Trends, Social Marketing
A
new product is on the horizon that will have a major impact upon online communications.
Let me give you a heads up. The next big tidal wave will be made available to the general public later this year. It’s the top trending conversation on Twitter and is becoming a hot topic in the daily news cycle.
Google Wave is a new real-time communications platform. It’s one of the top Google product launches and is expected to redefine online communication. It’s being heralded as the next evolution of email.
Click Here to check out the Google Wave Developer Review
This will be an all-in-one communications tool. You only need Google Wave open to manage your Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, project management, email, etc. It will also replace lots of communications and can easily be embedded into your web site or blog
“(Wave) could very well be the game-changing communications tool that everyone has been waiting for.” Ben Parr, Associate Editor for Mashable
To learn more about Google Wave, check out Mashable’s Google Wave: A Complete Guide. Also be sure and sign up for Google Wave updates by clicking here
by tradespeopleinsights | Jun 11, 2009 | Marketing Tips, Social Marketing
I know some of us write to specific audiences. Some posts may be more general in nature, but the majority will be focused at your target and should have a title that will not only stop them, but will make them want to click for more info. That’s why the title is so important. You could be giving away chances for a million dollars inside your post, but no one would know if they didn’t open it.
I know when I have an idea for a post I put a working title in my blog when starting to write, but I make sure to review it after completing the post to make sure the title adequately reflects the content. I also look at past posts to see if any of the most popular ones have common threads that might be included. I try to keep the title simple and relate it to my audience and not to search engines.
I’ve come up with some things I do when reviewing titles and I recently read a post by Darren Rowse, 15 ways to rework your next blog title, that is worth your reading. Here are my 5 top things:
- Personalize titles to your target audience. You’ll notice in this post I’m talking about Professional Tradesmen.
- Lists and numbers. This is a proven method of getting people’s attention. Using this post as an example, the title could have been, “5 ways to improve your post titles in order to reach the professional tradesman.”
- WIIFT. What’s in it for them (your target). I have found this gets my posts open more than anything else.
- Ask a question. Again using this post as an example, I’ve used a question in the title.
- Stir the pot. Create a debate or controversy on a timely topic. This will help get the blood pressure up as well as engagement. Obviously this can’t be used in every post, but is a good tactic to consider.
Those are my top lists of what I look at when doing a title. How about you…what tricks do you use?
